voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post April]

A New Platform [Intro Post April]

On the Train

Once again passengers are awoken by the morning announcement.

"Good morning passengers, it is day Sixteen of the month of Kazoo. Points have been updated on the system."

They have indeed, and everyone can spend the morning shopping. Those who have been on the train for a while will also be expecting the second announcement that comes after lunch. A lunch that may be a bit sparse: between the big eaters and the stress bakers, the stores have been stretched thin the last two weeks.

"Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." A lurch and a jolt and the windows fill with the fog that means they are at a platform. The steam is thin, with blue skies seen above. The sun shines brightly down, warm light pooling on the platform.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers: Cassie Lang, Glorfindel, Jessie Custer, Olivia, Paddra Nsu-Yeul, S’reee, Thea Queen, Wei Wuxian.

But on the platform itself there are new faces. Wearing hoodies in all four colours, in various states of confusion.

For New Passengers

At first all they can see is steam, billowing around them as they come to their senses. As their eyes adjust, they will see they are on a platform, open, with a vine-covered wall stretching high either side of the barrier. In front of them is a single track extending both ways into thick fog.

They are standing, in clothes that are not their own and a style they might not even recognise. They are carrying a rucksack on their back. For a moment it seems to just be them, alone in the white haze; then the steam begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform is not large, and seems smaller with eighteen figures scattered around. All facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. To both the left and right, tracks disappear into the mist.

A roaring sound, and out of the fog arrives a train. Jet black with gold writing on the side. The Voidtrecker Express. There is a hiss as the doors slide open and out step a strange assortment of people. Some are human, some are less so. Most are wearing the same hoodie in one of the four colours, red, orange, blue and purple, though some are sporting different clothes in a variety of styles. The doors close behind them.

The Train

After a short time, the doors hiss open again. Those from the train may encourage those on the platform to board. It’s not like there's anywhere else to go, and even if there was, you feel a pull. A need to board, a feeling that staying on the platform would lead to something terrible. If that is not enough, there are plenty of people on the platform now, to encourage them onto the train.

Each ICP shows the same message and next to the screens there are stacks of leaflets written by those on the train, with further information (see
'Publications'). The store rooms have been restocked with fresh ingredients, including plenty more tomatoes.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags. There is a suitcase stocked with spare wash kit items, for those who are running low as well as a box labelled Do Not Use Yet that is full of small bags.

New passengers will find their ticket allows them into their cabins. They may need to negotiate for beds, especially if they want a top bunk! Room is tight but there are storage cubbies at the head of each bed, beds fold up and the bottom bunks double as benches for the small table. There is storage under those benches full of spare blankets and pillows.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers who are making the most of the sunshine. The doors slide shut. Veteran passengers know what will happen next, but they may wish to brief their new companions.

The train sets off, the fog obscuring the view again as it picks up speed.

"Welcome aboard, passengers of the Voidtrecker Express." A female-coded artificial sounding voice echoes throughout the train. "Please take the time to read the passenger information displayed on the Information and Communication points and familiarise yourself with the layout and emergency exits."

The train begins to tilt, leaving the ground and rising up into the fog-filled sky.

"Entrance into Voidspace imminent. New passengers are advised to remain seated. Entry into Voidspace in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

A shudder, a jolt, a lurch to the left. A flash of light, colourful and blinding. As quick as it happens it is done. The train seems to steady itself. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colours.

Welcome to the Void!

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Tony has been hard at work to look as though he's not working, and not also disturbed that the arrival at a platform meant they weren't permitted to leave. With that confirmed, feeling less invested in entertaining new arrivals-- 'Welcome to the Trauma Train" seems ill-advised --he's thrown himself back into the workout routine he's let lag for a week.

Eluveitie has been roaring out of his phone for a quarter of an hour or so, as he finished a round of pushups and a circuit of lunges from one end of the car to the other. Sweaty, focused on his form while he's on the floor, fingers laced behind his head, there is suddenly just Pepper in his field of view, and Tony freezes, a moment suspended.

"Pepper? Mute," he blurts out, the song quieted instantly, as the silence falls and he rolls right around and scrambles to his feet. The last he knew, he was rocketing at supersonic speeds across the midwest, praying he'd make it to the Expo in time, with little else on his mind other than Pepper's safety. That she's here now pulls at something behind the rt, heavy as the shock settles.

Pepper winces a little and touches her ear once the roaring music suddenly cuts off, maybe playing it up just a little. "God, you're going to wreck your hearing one of these days, I keep telling you."

She had to get that in, just had to. But Tony gets absolutely no chance to retaliate in any manner before she's launching into an anxious, stammering ramble, words dropping from her lips like pearls from a broken necklace, accompanied by hand movements further expressing her current stress. If Tony looks closely, he might notice her hair is longer than the last time he saw her, the wavy ginger strands gathered up in a ponytail that sways with every shake and jerk of her head.

"How are you here, too? How are either one of us here? I-I can't make any sense of any of this, Tony, and have you seen these clothes, by the way? What are we dealing with, here? Some kind of, a-- a weird mass abduction? Like we didn't have enough to deal with--!" Suddenly, she flushes angrily and points a finger at him. "And don't think we're not talking about that stunt you pulled! What were you thinking? On live television, Tony! Couldn't you have for once in your life just kept to the cue cards?"

So this conversation is familiar already– minus the have we been alien abducted, that is, of course that's new and very pertinent, but he remembers hearing those last four sentences before, in much the same order, back in his office at Stark. Six? Six and a half months ago. It occurs to him very rapidly that maybe she's referencing his rambled phone interview...statement...thing the night of his birthday but there had been no cue cards, just a knee jerk impulse that was ill-advised.

"Pepper, Pepper!" Tony begins loudly, hands waving a quick hold up before his voice drops an octave, taking on a calmer tone. Not placative, she's rattled to Hell and he'd like to not exacerbate that, thanks. "Time out. Breathe, okay, you can't hyperventilate here it's like, a quarter of a mile to get to the medical car. Is that the last thing from home you remember?"

Edited 2021-04-03 14:26 (UTC)

"Don't tell me to breathe! I'm breathing!" she counters with an affronted edge to her tone at (what she perceives as) his clear attempt to manage her. Hmph! But with that point made, she does calm down some, less frantic now than she is simply insistent and confused, forging on;

"I'm not hysterical, okay, these are legitimate concerns here. Why are you-- yes, of course it is the last thing, considering it just happened."

Why else would she be so hopping otherwise? There's a hint of exasperation in there now that's familiar. She doesn't understand why that's a pertinent issue right now.

"I don't know how to couch this in less-shocking terms, Pepper, but that was six months ago. For me. Do you need to sit down; I could find, something..." Tony casts about but nothing presents itself, so he moves on ahead, cautiously stepping in closer.

"Everyone on the train are from different points in time, different worlds, dimensions, whatever. I don't know how they do it," he admits, costing him a little, but this is Pepper for crissakes, if he can't trust her, who can he trust? "But I'm going to. Right now, at least you're safe."

Well, that finally shuts her up. Pepper can only stare as he goes on, looking more and more gobsmacked with every word. Her mouth hangs open just a little once Tony finishes, hoping to the last that he'll pull a psych! on her any minute now. But he wouldn't be that careless with her sensibilities, she knows.

"Six months?" she finally echoes slowly, her mouth suddenly bone-dry. "Oh. Ah, that's... um. Great. Is it hot in here?" Her voice goes a little high, all of the sudden, maybe she feels a little dizzy. It's like the whole thing fully hit her only now and it's making her just a little light-headed. Oh wow, this is really happening. "Yeah, I'm gonna... I'm gonna sit down."

She'll just start to slowly bending at the knees to lower herself into a crouch first (because sitting down in heels is not that simple), having no qualms about grabbing Tony's wrist for balance-- help her out before she just topples over, okay?

Oh, she's going down and immediately he crouched too, taking her wrist in turn, sliding an arm around her shoulders until he's more or less awkwardly on the floor with Pepper.

"Put your head between your knees," Tony supplies with all helpful intent, miming deep breathes. "In and out, Potts. If Munich in '02 didn't make you pass out, this is a cakewalk."

"Oh, eughh-- why would you remind me of that one? I'd almost managed to scrub that memory out of my brain." She almost whines, voice muffled by the fact that she did indeed as Tony suggested and lowered her head between her knees, ponytail flipping over her the back of her head as she sucks in a deep breath and blows it out. It's kind of helping, blood no longer rushing in her ears and feeling no more like she's going to immediately pass out.

Tony chuckles but it's shallow, for effect, while he sits with her and thinks. He's so happy to see her, a feeling blooming greater with this close contact, the surety that Pepper is well and truly here.

He's also terrified to his very core.

Comfort is still something he's not the greatest at, as he thinks, but he's trying, making slow, chaste circles between her shoulder blades with his fingertips, ready to move away the instant she needs him to.

Pepper breathes out slowly and deeply one last time, the world finally ceasing to swim around her.

"Okay. Okay," she mumbles, mostly to herself. Get it together now, Potts. Her neck is starting to hurt, anyway, so slowly she lifts her head-- but doesn't make a move to shift away from Tony, still holding onto him. You know, just to be on the safe side, nothing more!

"This whole thing is so confusing." Understatement of the year. "How did you end up here?"

He leans away when Pepper lifts her head, affording her more space without breaking this gentle contact. Cuz...y'know, gotta be sure she's all right.

"Same as you." Tony shrugs. "Came to on the platform, wearing purple. That orange is atrocious, by the way-"

She stares at him almost unblinkingly with big, blue eyes, as if expecting him to reveal whatever secrets he's managed to figure out while here, possibly even that he's got a way back home, because if anyone could find it... surely it would be Tony. Like, she has absolute, unwavering faith in his abilities as a scientist and engineer, even if he could be a bit of a mess of a man otherwise.

Then he makes that crack about the orange, and she screws up her face for a beat in that kind of ugh! grimace.

"Yeah, I know, thanks." But her expression smooths out once more afterward, biting her lip uncertainly. "...How long ago?"

Her faith... may be misplaced, he feels. It's been hard to address how to get home when you've spent weeks on another planet, slinking around libraries, avoiding demons. So he's not happy when he has to admit:

"...a month. Roughly."

"Oh. Well, that's not yet so long." She sounds kind of optimistic about it in contrast to Tony's displeasure. Pepper met someone who'd been on the train since the beginning of the travels, she had some concerns. "It's a bit weird, actually-- first you, now me." She musters a small smile, earnest as usual. "I guess the train thought someone needs to look after you."

He manages a smile too, in spite of himself. If there's something fond in his gaze, soft at the edges, maybe she'll overlook it. The heat behind the rt is still there, licking at his wounded heart.

"I can think of worse places to be," Tony suggests, and moves to offer her a hand up. "And... I can't say I'm not glad to see you."

I should have said that when I got back.

It's a hint of that same warmth that would make a more frequent appearance between them of late, she knows. Pepper feels it now in her own heart, much as she's tried to corral and control it. It's not a good idea to let it take root, she reminds herself, though with less and less conviction every day-- and she fears it's already all too late, anyway.

"Wow, a glowing sentiment right there. Really makes a girl feel welcome," she teases wryly with a small grin even as she grabs Tony's hand, happy to accept the help back up to her feet.

"Yeah? I practiced it just in case."

For a sec there he's not quite sure what to do with her hand once she's up and on her feet. The last time they were palm to palm, they were dancing, and he remembered the softness of her skin, the warmth and gentle weight of it long afterward.

"I was glad then, too," Tony hurries to tack on there, painfully honest. "I mean it. Getting off that plane was, uh. I was happy to see you on the tarmac. Shocked, in fact."

Pepper chuckles at that, squeezing Tony's hand and letting the touch linger for a moment too long. She's just about to reluctantly slide her hand back when he goes on, and then she's simply too distracted to. Startled curiosity at his candidness morphs soon into something more solemn.

"Shocked, why?" she asks, adding quietly, "You didn't really think I wouldn't be there?"

He presses his thumb lightly over the ridge of her knuckles, an absent little motion that says nothing and gives away everything, a glimpse through his carefully constructed facade.

"Pepper," he begins lightly, wetting his lips, but the words won't come easy and so, vexed, he closes his other hand over theirs briefly, then lets her go. "I was MIA for three months; I didn't know what to expect."

"Would have been a good time to cut and run," Tony suggests, though his wry smile doesn't meet his eyes.

Edited 2021-04-21 05:06 (UTC)

Something faintly devastated flickers across Pepper's expression at that, rolling her lips into her mouth as she glances down at their hands like she's only now realized they're still holding hands, just in time for Tony to let go. She supposes that's a fair enough reasoning-- but when he goes and adds that, she snaps her head back up with a little frown.

"You know me better than that," she says, tone still quiet and earnest. She hopes he does, anyway. Knowing this exchange is turning too real and too much all of the sudden, she makes an effort to match his wryness with her own, mustering a little smile as she tips her chin up with her habitual pep.

"You know if I ever decide to quit, I'll do it to your face."

Tony tosses his head back, a glint of mischief in his eyes, and the tension passes. "Not if I fire you first."

"So how much of the train have you seen?" he continues readily, happy to gently push aside all the complicated feelings and emotions, to examine on the fifth of Never. "Has anyone given you the grand tour yet?"

"Please." She sniffs a little, in mock-hauteur, a gleam in her own eye that's playful and a little warm, too. He wouldn't manage a week without her, but maybe the opposite it true, as well. (It is.)

The change of topic at this point is welcome. She shakes her head, ponytail swinging gently. "Not so much, no. I found my cabin, and then I've mostly been snooping around on my own. I'm sure there's a lot I haven't seen, yet."

"Oh good. No time like the present."

And just like the time he pulled her onto a dance floor in front of all of Stark Industries, he slides his hand into hers and coaxes her along, making a beeline for the end of the carriage.

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A New Platform [Intro Post April]

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